Research & Commentary

Read in-depth research, analysis, and commentary from MEI’s fellows and experts on the Middle East. 

Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished
  • Commentary

    • Trump’s South Caucasus Peacemaking Is His Most Successful, but It Remains Unfinished

    Of all the fronts in President Trump’s peacemaking agenda, the South Caucasus has delivered the most concrete results. The August 2025 Washington Declaration, signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan and witnessed by Trump, marked an important step toward peace in the region. The two sides initialed a peace agreement and advanced plans to unblock regional connectivity, including through the establishment of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhijevan exclave through southern Armenia. Implementation of TRIPP has since made notable progress, but construction has yet to start. A breakthrough on those two tracks would, in turn, unlock Armenia–Türkiye normalization, transforming a long-fractured region into an area of trade and interdependence.

    The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change
  • Commentary

    • The Iran War Was Always About Regime Change

    Wars don’t just end. They get interpreted, reinterpreted, and turned into strategic doctrine. That is what happened after the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, a conflict that saw the United States back Tehran’s Iraqi adversaries. The war taught Tehran three lessons it never unlearned: that Washington wants the Islamic Republic gone, that Iran stands essentially alone in the world, and that it cannot survive a direct, overt fight with the U.S. and Israel.

    Iran’s New War Cabinet Is Really an Old One
  • Analysis

    • Iran’s New War Cabinet Is Really an Old One

    Within 48 hours this week, Iran filled six of the most important posts in its battered military and security establishment. Read together with the biographies and mandates behind them, the appointments show how Tehran is drawing lessons from successive wars and preparing for a prolonged period of insecurity, without proving it has abandoned negotiation.

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    Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
  • Backgrounder

    • Israeli Settlements in the West Bank

    Since 1967, Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been a contested feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ultimate disposition of the settlements and ongoing activity related to their growth have repeatedly defied agreement in negotiations over a resolution to the conflict.

    June 9, 2026

    The Houthis
  • Backgrounder

    • The Houthis

    The Houthis are a political-military faction and Zaydi religious movement founded in northwestern Yemen in the 1980s. A key member of Iran’s Axis of Resistance with links to other militant organizations in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, the group has continued to pose a threat to Western interests on a global scale.

    May 15, 2026

    The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
  • Backgrounder

    • The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor

    The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a proposed multinational infrastructure initiative aimed at upgrading connectivity between the three regions through integrated trade, energy, and digital networks. Announced at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, IMEC is envisioned partially as a counterweight to China’s international infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative.

    June 3, 2026

    Turkish Foreign Policy
  • Backgrounder

    • Turkish Foreign Policy

    After a decade of post-Arab Spring isolation, Turkey’s leaders have recognized that their ambition to position the country as an agenda-setter on the world stage requires active engagement in all directions. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s consolidation of executive authority has centralized foreign policy decision-making and tied it to his domestic political priorities, transforming the country’s revisionist approach to one shaped primarily by personal and pragmatic interests.

    April 23, 2026

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    Middle East Focus

    MEI’s flagship weekly podcast on US foreign policy and contemporary political and social issues in the Middle East.

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    Taking the Edge Off the Middle East

    MEI Senior Fellow Brian Katulis engages friends, colleagues, and policy experts in casual conversations on the most important happenings in the Middle East. 

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    Rethinking Democracy

    MEI Senior Fellow Gonul Tol hosts leading scholars and thought leaders on global democracy trends and the state of the liberal international order. 

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    Yemen's National Dialogue: Prospects for Success
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Yemen's National Dialogue: Prospects for Success

    The Middle East Institute is proud to host MEI Scholar Dr. Charles Schmitz for a discussion about Yemen’s political future. Two years after the start of anti-government protests in Yemen, the country remains torn by political divisions and rivalries. Schmitz will examine the political challenges ahead and whether or not the country’s upcoming National Dialogue holds the key to stabilizing Yemen.

    February 14, 2013

    Yemen's National Dialogue: Prospects for Success
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Yemen's National Dialogue: Prospects for Success

    The Middle East Institute is proud to host MEI Scholar Dr. Charles Schmitz for a discussion about Yemen’s political future. Two years after the start of anti-government protests in Yemen, the country remains torn by political divisions and rivalries. Schmitz will examine the political challenges ahead and whether or not the country’s upcoming National Dialogue holds the key to stabilizing Yemen.

    February 14, 2013

    Yemen's National Dialogue: Prospects for Success
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Yemen's National Dialogue: Prospects for Success

    The Middle East Institute is proud to host MEI Scholar Dr. Charles Schmitz for a discussion about Yemen’s political future. Two years after the start of anti-government protests in Yemen, the country remains torn by political divisions and rivalries. Schmitz will examine the political challenges ahead and whether or not the country’s upcoming National Dialogue holds the key to stabilizing Yemen.

    February 14, 2013

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    The Middle East Institute,
    The Foundation for Middle East Peace,
    Americans for Peace Now,
    Churches for Middle East Peace,
    and J-Street Present:

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    A talk by

    Professor Menachem Klein
    Bar Ilan University, Israel

    Monday, February 11, 12:00-1:30 PM

    Carnegie Conference Center, Choate Room
    1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
    Washington, DC 20036

    February 11, 2013

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    The Middle East Institute,
    The Foundation for Middle East Peace,
    Americans for Peace Now,
    Churches for Middle East Peace,
    and J-Street Present:

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    A talk by

    Professor Menachem Klein
    Bar Ilan University, Israel

    Monday, February 11, 12:00-1:30 PM

    Carnegie Conference Center, Choate Room
    1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
    Washington, DC 20036

    February 11, 2013

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    The Middle East Institute,
    The Foundation for Middle East Peace,
    Americans for Peace Now,
    Churches for Middle East Peace,
    and J-Street Present:

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    A talk by

    Professor Menachem Klein
    Bar Ilan University, Israel

    Monday, February 11, 12:00-1:30 PM

    Carnegie Conference Center, Choate Room
    1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
    Washington, DC 20036

    February 11, 2013

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    The Middle East Institute,
    The Foundation for Middle East Peace,
    Americans for Peace Now,
    Churches for Middle East Peace,
    and J-Street Present:

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    A talk by

    Professor Menachem Klein
    Bar Ilan University, Israel

    Monday, February 11, 12:00-1:30 PM

    Carnegie Conference Center, Choate Room
    1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
    Washington, DC 20036

    February 11, 2013

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    The Middle East Institute,
    The Foundation for Middle East Peace,
    Americans for Peace Now,
    Churches for Middle East Peace,
    and J-Street Present:

    Reorienting Strategy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

    A talk by

    Professor Menachem Klein
    Bar Ilan University, Israel

    Monday, February 11, 12:00-1:30 PM

    Carnegie Conference Center, Choate Room
    1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
    Washington, DC 20036

    February 11, 2013

    The Emergency Evacuation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Libya and Syria
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis

    • The Emergency Evacuation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Libya and Syria

    The Philippine government accords high priority to the protection of the Overseas Filipino Workers working in the Middle East and North African countries, especially those who are working in conflict areas. Although there have been efforts to strengthen bilateral labor relations between the Philippines and receiving countries, there is still considerable uncertainty about how the protection and well-being of Filipino workers far from home can be assured.

    February 9, 2013

    Henelito A. Sevilla, Sevilla

    Supreme Showdown in Tehran
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis

    • Supreme Showdown in Tehran

    This piece was first published by ForeignPolicy.com on February 4, 2013.

    February 6, 2013

    Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar

    The Blasphemy Case Against Ambassador Sherry Rehman
  • Analysis

    • The Blasphemy Case Against Ambassador Sherry Rehman

    The dust of speculation on the Supreme Court’s role during populous cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri’s recent march in Islamabad had hardly settled down when it lent itself to more speculation.  A two-member bench of the Supreme Court has admitted for hearing the petition of a citizen against Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman for allegedly making blasphemous remarks during a television program in 2010. This petition had earlier been rejected by the session court as well as the Multan bench of the Lahore High Court.

    February 4, 2013

    Ishrat Saleem

    After the Jordan Elections: Challenges Ahead for the Hashemite Kingdom
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • After the Jordan Elections: Challenges Ahead for the Hashemite Kingdom

    The Middle East Institute is proud to host Leslie Campbell, senior associate and regional director for the Middle East, and Danya Greenfield, deputy director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council, for an assessment of the Jordanian elections and an examination of the political challenges ahead for Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

    February 1, 2013

    After the Jordan Elections: Challenges Ahead for the Hashemite Kingdom
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • After the Jordan Elections: Challenges Ahead for the Hashemite Kingdom

    The Middle East Institute is proud to host Leslie Campbell, senior associate and regional director for the Middle East, and Danya Greenfield, deputy director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council, for an assessment of the Jordanian elections and an examination of the political challenges ahead for Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

    February 1, 2013

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